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Wilson community speaker urges state board to require public votes on school closings
Summary
A Wilson community representative told the Board that local patrons — not just a four‑member board majority — should decide school closures after his district’s proposed full‑facility closure, citing enrollment and community impact.
During the citizens’ open forum at the March 10 Kansas State Board of Education meeting, Michael Crokkey of Wilson (USD 112) urged the Board to require that patrons be given the right to vote on school closures rather than allowing a bare board majority to make final closure decisions.
Crokkey said Wilson’s K–12 facility (built 1998) serves the largest community in the district and that prior closures had already produced enrollment declines; he warned the proposed closure would displace students, harm the community’s facilities (gyms, football field and track) and erode local services. “A closing of a school creates a huge burden on the community and the education of those children,” he told the Board, urging a formal public‑vote right for patrons before a closure is finalized.
What he asked for: Crokkey asked the Board to consider policy changes that would give patrons a referendum or similar mechanism when a board proposes closing a facility. He framed this as a governance and community‑rights issue, not an operational request for district staff.
Board response and next steps: Chair Kathy Hopkins thanked Crokkey; the Board did not act on policy during the meeting. The Board noted public comments will be considered for future agenda items, leaving the matter formally unresolved.
Quote: “Instead of only four people having the right to close a school in the community, it should be the right of the patrons in that district to vote on the closing,” Crokkey said.
Status: The matter was presented in public comment and may be placed on a future agenda for Board consideration; no formal action was taken at this meeting.
